Railway signaling apparatus



March 4, 1924.

E. s. TIDDEJMAN ET AL" RAILWAY SIGNALING} APPAn'ws Filed July 24 1320 6 Sheets-Sheet l March 4%, 1924. 1,485,442

E. S. TIDDEMAN ET AL RAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS Filed July 24 1920 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 March 4, 192451 E. S. TIDDEMAN ET AL RAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS Filed July 24 1920 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 um I Lama/ RM March 4 1924.

E. s. TIDDEMAN ET AL RAILWAY SIGNALING APPARATUS Filed July 24 1920 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 W & TAM; 'ammk Um x 1920 e 'SheetsShet 6 {xiii TAM I WW I March 4, 1924 Estented Mar. 4, 11924.

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"rest I Learn raruur Mm EDMUND srunsnn 'rrnnnrrnn, or non ncnuncn, .en'nrnnnnnrox VERNON nussnnn' LEYTONS'IONE, ENGLAND, nssIonons' TO w, n. SYKES INrnnLooKIno sIG AL corarnnv LIMITED, or cnarnenr, nonnon, ENGLAND. I

RAILWAY SIGNALING nrrnnle'rus;

(ensures-nurse Inn 'rnovrszons or THE ACT or MARCH 3, 1921, 41 smr. L}, 1313. i

To all whom may concern.

Be it known that we, EDMUND Srnnsun TZDDEMAN, of Flood End, Great Nelines, l-lornchurch, in the county of Essex, Engsubject of the King 01" Great Brit- This invention relates to railway signal ing apparatus of that type designed on the one hand to apply the brakes of a train or railway vehicle and give corresponding d nger signal on passing a track-ramp, in both cases by mechanical means, and on the other hand to restrain the application of the brakes and indication of the danger signal, it the road is clear, by electrical means .pted to substitute a sai ety signal indican for that of the danger signal, the said rec-rice. 'ineans embodying, it may be, a olarizeo relay, serving, on single line sysus, for the purpose of discriminating beween electrically-energized rainps which apin on the one hand to signals for conain is running, and on the other hand to ignais for controlling traii'ic in the opposite dii ct-ion.

in such apparatus a lever or equivalent inovable device, is caused to move into an operative position and enable a danger Sig,

lever. v

Signaling ap aratus of the type referred and Fsnnnnroa VnnNoN RUssELL, of

lling traffic in the direction in which the e and controls the action of the lever-or trivalent device, hereinafter referred to brevity and distinction as the controlled to is described in the specifications of 01 'mer British Letters Patent Nos; 6499 of 1915 and 112,191 granted to one of the.

present applicants.

an improved form of such apparatus which will difi'erentiate'between the track-ramps appertaining to distant and home signals respectively in such manner that if, on the one hand, a distant signal in the on? or danger position be passed thebrakes may be-released by the driver irorn the cab by the operation of a'push valve, but if, on the other hand, a home signal in the on or danger position be over-run the brakes can only be released by the driver after he'has descended from the cab to the way and reset the apparatus. I

A further object of the present invention is to provide means for bringing about the automatic application of the brakes ifthe shoe is broken away by encountering an obstacle on the permanent way. o According to this invention the apparatus is provided with a single spring-pressed def tent adapted, when the plunger orother' movable device which carries the shoe (hereinafter referred to as the plunger) has been raised to a predetermined height by the passage of its shoe over a track-ramp a'p pertaining to a home signal in the on or The present invention has for its object,

permanent danger position, to engage said plunger and 7 to preventthe returnthereof toits norinal position until the apparatus is reset, and with means" for rendering said detent inoperative when the plunger is raised to said height by the passage of its shoe over a track-ramp appertaining to a home signal in theoflt, or clear position, said detent being also inoperative whenthe plunger is raised to a height less than the predetermined height by the passage of its shoe over a track-ramp appertaining to a distantsignal whether in the on or off position,

for which purposethe track ramps appertaining'to distant signals are designed to give less lir'tto the plunger than those appertaining to home signalsyand said detent being connected with a concurrently movable notched plunger,"whereof the notch is adapted'to-be engagedby a finger movable as one with the controlled lever in order that the detent may be rendered inoperative when the controlled lever is in the inoperative position.

The present invention is applicable to steam, compressed air, or vacuum brakes, as is the case with the said prior inventions, and a further object of the present invention, when applied to a compressed air or a vacuum brake, is to bring about a partial application of the brake and an audible indication when a distant signal in the on position is passed, and a full application of the brake and, it may be, a dillerent audible indication when a home signal in the on position is over-run.

The invention is illustrated by the accompanying drawings wherein Figure 1 is a partly sectional elevation of one form of apparatus constructed in accordance with this invention, the constructional details and the arrangement of similar parts being substantially as described and illustrated in the specifications of the prior patents aioresaid= Figure 2 is a section on the line 22, Figure 1, parts being omitted for the sake of clearness; Figure 3' is sectional plan on the line 33, Figure 1; Figure 4 is a cross section on the line l4, Figure 1; Figure 5 is a face view of a portion of Figure 1, parts being omitted for the sake of clearness; Figure 6 is a section on the line 6--6, Figure 5; Figure 7 is a similar View to Figure 5 shewing an additional feature of the invention and Figure 8 is a cross-section on the line 88, Figure 7.

In order that the application of the present invention may be more readily understood reference will first be made to details of the previous constructions, as arranged for bringing about the operation of airpressure brakes.

11 is a plunger fitted to slide vertically in guides 12, 12, carried by a plate 13 mounted upon the framing of the locomotive, the plunger tending to descend in its guides under the stress of a spring 1 1. The plunger 11 is in two mutually overlapping sections, having their contiguous faces serrated and united by bolts 15 so as to enable the effective length of the plunger to be adjusted by moving the one section relatively to the other; the lower section serving to carry an insulated contact-shoe 16 adapted to slide over insulated ramps (not shewn) which are mounted in the permanent way and whereby the plunger 11 as a whole is forced upwards in its guides 12, 12, against the tension of the spring 14.

17 is the controlled lever (already referred to) which is fulcrumed at 18 to the plate 13 and normally held in the position shown in Figure 1 by a projection 19 upon the lever abutthg .gainst the extremity of one arm of a bell-crank trigger-lever 20 which is fulorumed to the plunger 11 at 21 and which normally rests upon a stop 22 on the plunger, a spring 23 tending to retain the lever 20 in this position. trolled lever 17, by its projection 19, abuts against the trigger lever 20, it holds in their relatively straightened positions the limbs 24, 25 of a toggle whereof the limb 24 is pivoted to the lever 17 at 28, whilst the limb 25 is pivoted to the plate 13 at 27, the middle joint 28 of the toggle being raised when the toggle as a whole is straightened. 29 is a counterweight carried by an extension of the limb 25 and tending to straighten the toggle. 30 is the armature of an electromagnet 31, one end of the winding of which is earthed whilst the other is connected with the wire leading from the shoe 16 to the electric bell or other electrically operated alarm within the cab of the locomotive. The electromagnet 31 is mounted on the plate 13, whilst the armature 3O pivotally carried by the toggle limb 25 so that, when the electro-magnet 31 is energized as a result of the shoe 16 passing over an electrically live ramp, the consequent attraction of its armature 30 (assisted by the weight 29) will cause the toggle 24, 25 to be held'in the straightened position and the controlled lever 17 to be held in the normal position indica'ter in Figure 1. When, as a result of the shoe 16 passing over an electrically" dead ramp, the toggle-centre 28 is allowed to drop and the lever 17 assumes the abnormal position, the subsequent straightening of the toggle, and consequent restoration of the controlled lever 17 to normal position, can be efieoted by means of a bell-crank resetting lever 32, which is fulcrumed to the plate 13 at 33 and controlled by the piston rod 3 1 of a reset-tingcylinder 35 which communicates, by way of a pipe 36, with the main air-pressure reservoir of the locomotive, the connection being controlled by a manuallyoperated resetting-valve (not shown). The piston-rod 34: is attached to one arm of the lever 32, whereof the other arm has pivoted to it a link 37 having a pinand-slot connection at 38 with the limb 24 of the toggle.

Upon the plate 13 is mounted the casing 39 of an air-valve for controlling the application of the air-pressure brakes on the train and the giving of an alarm signal in the cab of the locomotive. So long as the controlled lever- 17 is in normal position, it bears against the spindle 40 of said valve which is held closed by said lever. The valve in the casing 39 controls communication between the interior of said casing and a pipe 41 connected with the train air-pipe (not shewn), whilst the casing 39 is provided So long as the con- Ill) lift) with a branch passage from which a pipe 42 leads through distributing valve (to be described hereinafter) to whistles or equivalent alarms (not shewn) within the cab; Normally the lever 17 holds'the valve in the casing 39 closed against its seat, but when said lever is released the air pressure within thepipe 41 causes said valve to open, and

the air which escapes from said pipe passes by way of the pipe 42 to the distributing valve, and at the same time brings about the application. of the air pressure brakes on. the train in a well-known manner.

In accordance with the present invention the following additions are made. To the rear faceof the plate 13 issecured a housing 43 provided with a guidej44 carried axially within a cup 45 screwed into. the housing 43. A bolt or detent 46, provided at or about the centre of its length with a peripheral flange 47 is slidable in theguide 44 and in an aperture 48 in the plate 13 against the pressure of a coaxiallyfarranged coiled spring 49 which abuts at its one end against the flange 47 and at its other end against the end of the cup 45, and which tends to force the end of the boltthrough the aperture 48 and through a corresponding aperture 50 in the plunger 11 when said plunger is raised to a predetermined height by the passage of its shoe 16 over a trackramp appertaining to a home signal. The housing 43 also serves as a guide fora plunger 51 for resetting the apparatus after the brakes have been applied consequent upon a'home signal in the on position having been overrun. This resetting plunger 51 extends at its oneend through the rear wall of the housing 43 and is provided with a handle 52 and at its other end through the plate 13 and is'formed with a notch '53 for a purpose which will be hereinafter described. Pivotally mounted'at 54 upon the rear face of the plate 13 is a rocking bar 55 the opposite ends of which are pivotally connected at 56 and 57 with the spring-pressed bolt 46 and the resetting plunger '51 respectively, so that these two members will move simultaneously andop positely. Integral with the'boss 58 of the controlled lever 17 is a finger 59 adapted to engage the notch 53 in the forward end of the resetting plunger 51in such manner that as long as the finger 59 is in' engagement with the notch 53 the resetting plunger 51 and consequently the spring-pressed bolt 46 are prevented from moving oppositely; and,- as a result, when the controlled lever '17 is maintained in its normally inoperative position through the agency ofthe electromagnet 31 which is energized by the passage of the shoe 16 over a track-ramp which is electrically live, and which appertains to a home signal in .the off position, the spring-pressed bolt 46 is prevented from engaging the aperture 50in the plunger ll. If, however, the track ramp appertaining to a home signal in the on position is over-run. the controlled lever 17 is "caused 53, and'the resetting plunger 51 and the spring-pressed bolt 46 are free to move simultaneously and oppositely under the ac-f tion of the spring 49 when the plunger 11 forward end of the spring pressed bolt 46 engaging the aperture50 in the plunger 11' and preventing the brakes being released byfrom the plunger 11 by pressing'in the resetting plunger 51.

When the invention is applied to a compressed'air or to a vacuum brake the partial application of the brake 'andthe giving of an audible indication when a distant signal in the on position is passed and the'full is raised to the predetermined height, the r V and disengaged the 'spring-pressed bolt 46' application of the brake anda different audible indication when a home-signal in the ition is over-run, are accom-v plished by int erposing in the pipe 42,'which leads from the air-valve casing 39 for controlling the application of the brake to the whistle, a two way valve adapted-to connect with said air-valve casing 39 the one or the other of two pipes 60. 61 of relatively different diameters and fitted with different sounding whistles (not shew'n). The two way valve is constituted by a pair'of pistons 62, 63' mounted'upon a piston rod 64 and slidable within a cylinder 65 securedlto the plate 13, said cylinder 65 having three ports 66, 67 and 68-connected'with the air valve casing 39 and each ofthe two'pipes 60 and 61, said ports being so spaced relatively to the distance between the pistons 62.and 63 that the casing 39 may be placed in ,co'mmunication with the one or the other of said'pipes '60 and 61, whilst the piston rod 64 passes out'of the lower end of the 'lOUv cylinder 65 and is slotted as at 69 tofre-' I ceive a turned pin 70 upon a bracket 71' secured to the plunger 11; Normally the air-valve casing 39 is in communication with the smaller, 61, of the two pipes, and its whistle, and the slot 69 in the lower end -'of the piston rod 64 is of such length that when the plunger 11 (and consequently the 2120 turned pin 70 in said slot '69) is raised by the passage'of its shoe 16 over a trackramp appertaining to a distant signal in the on position the two-way valve is unaffected and the rush of air permitted'by the open: ing of the air valve in'the casing '39 as the brake is applied passes through the smaller pipe 61 and its whistle, the pipe 61 being of such size'that the rush of air is restrained and the application of the brakeis partial only. a If, however, the plunger 11 is raised by the passage of its shoe 16 over a track ramp appertaining to a home signal in the on position, the additional lift of the plunger 11 causes the turned pin 70 to engage and raise the piston rod 64:, thus establishing communication between the airvalve casing 39 and the larger pipe 60 and its difierent sounding whistle, said'pipe 60 being of such size that the rush of air is not restrained and the brake will be fully ap lied.

f desired that full brake pressureshould be applied both when a distant signal in the on position is passed and when a home signal in the on position is overrun the two pipes 60, 61 the one or the other of which is adapted to be placed in communication with the pipe 42, are made of the same diameter, and serve to connect the air- ,valve casing 39 with the one or the other of the two whistles; or a single pipe may lead to a single whistle, or if it is desired to usea single whistle and eflect the partial and full application of the brakes at the distant and home signals as hereinbefore set forth, the smaller pipe 61 may be connected with the larger plpe 62 by a T-piece.

' so as to lie in a vertical plane transversely of the apparatus and is held by a two-part rod 74, which is adjustable in length, the part 74: being formed with a socket 76 into which the threaded end of the part 75 engages, and said rod is pivotally connected at its upper end at 77 with the bellcrank stop lever 72, whilst its lower end is secured at 78 to and electrically insulated from the shoe 16. Normally the rod 74, 7 5 holds the bell crank stop lever 72 in the position shown in full lines in Figure 8 to constitute a stop, but if the shoe 16 is broken away the bell-crank stop lever 72 is pulled down by the rod 74:, 75 to the position shewn in dotted lines in Figure 8, a1

lowing the bell crank trigger lever 20 to drop to the position shewn in dotted lines in Fig. 7, so that the controlled lever 17 may be caused to move into an operative position and bring about the application of the brakes.

The track ramps may be placed in the four foot way, alongside the track, or in other convenient position, the apparatus being so disposed on the engine asto coact therewith as hereinbefore set forth.

Having now particularly described and ascertained the nature of our said invention, and in what manner the same is to be performed, we declare that what we claim is 7 1. In railway signaling apparatus, the combination of means for controlling the application of the brakes, mechanism, including a vertically slidable plunger and a controlled lever, controlling the operation of said means, a contact shoe carried by said plunger and adapted to pass over track ramps of difi'erent heights operatively connected with a home signal and a'distantsignal respectively, a single spring-pressed detent adapted, when the plunger has been raised to a predetermined height by the passage of its shoe over a track ramp relating to a home signal and the latter is in the danger position, to engage said plunger and prevent the return thereof to its normal position, means for rendering said detent inoperative when said shoe passes over said track ramp with said home signal in the off position, said detent being inoperative also when the plunger is raised to a lesser degree by the passage of the shoe over a track ramp relating to a distant signal, regardless of the position of said signal, a notched plunger operatively connected with said detent and movable concurrently therewith, and a finger movable with said controlled lever and adapted to engage said notch whereby said detent is rendered inoperative when the controlled lever is in its lnoperative position.

2. In railway signaling apparatus, the combination of means for controlling the application of the brakes, mechanism, including a vertically slidable plunger and a controlled lever, controlling the operation of said means, a contact shoe carried by said plunger and adapted to pass over track ramps of different heights operatively connected with a home signal and a distant signal respectively, a single spring-pressed detent adapted. when the plunger has been raised to a predetermined height by the passage of its shoe over a track ramp relating to a home signal and the latter is in the danger position, to engage said plunger and prevent the return thereof to its normal position, and means for rendering said detent inoperativewhen said shoe passes over said track ramp with said home signal in the off position.

3. In railway signaling apparatus, the combination of means for controlling the application of the brakes, mechanism, including a vertically slidable plunger and a controlled lever, controlling the operation of said means, a contact shoe carried by said plunger and adapted to pass over track ramps of difi'erent heights operatively connected with a home signal and a distant signal respectively, and a single spring-pressed detent adapted, when the plunger has been raised to a predetermined height by the passage of its shoe over a track ramp relating to a home signal and the latter is in the danger position, to prevent the return or" said plunger to its normal position.

4. In railway signaling apparatus, the combination of means for controlling the application of the brakes, mechanism, including a vertically slidable plunger and a controlled lever, controlling the operation of said means, a contact shoe carried by said plunger and adapted to pass over track ramps of different heights operatively connected with a home signal and a distant signal respectively, a single spring-pressed detent adapted, when the plunger has been raised to a predeterminedheight by the passage of its shoe over a track ramp relating to a home signal and the latter is in the danger position, to prevent the return of said plunger to its normal position, and manually operated means for restoring said detent to its inoperative position, said means being so located as to compel the engine driver to descend from the engine cab to the permanent way to 0perate the same. a

5. In railway signaling apparatus, the combination of means for controlling the application of the brakes, mechanism, includ-' ing a vertically slidable plunger and a controlled lever, controlling the operation of said means, a contact shoe carried by said plunger and adapted to pass over track ramps of different heights operatively connected with a home signal and a distant signal respectively, a single spring-pressed detent adapted, when the plunger has been raised to a predetermined height by the passage of its shoe over a track ramp relating to a home signal and the latter is in the danger position, to engage said plunger and prevent the return thereof to its normal position, means for rendering said detent inoperative when said shoe passes over said track ramp with said home signal in the OE position, said detent being inoperative also, when the plunger is raised to a lesser degree by the passage of the shoe over a track ramp relating to a distant signal, regardless of the posi-' tion of said signal, a finger connected with said controlled lever and movable therewith,

a notched plunger arranged to engage said finger and a rocking bar connecting said notched plunger and detent whereby the latter is rendered inoperative when said finger is engaged by said notched plunger.

6. In railway signaling apparatus, the combination of means for controlling the application of pneumatically operated brakes, said means including air conduits of different -cross-sectional area, mechanism, including a vertically slidable plunger, controlling the operation of said means, a two-way valve controlling said air conduits, and a slotted piston rod connected with said plun-' ger whereby said valve is operated only when the plunger is raised toa predetermined height to alternately open said conduits and thereby bring about a partial or complete application of the brakes.

7. In a railway signaling apparatus, the combination of means for controlling the application 01" the brakes, mechanism, including a vertically slidable plunger and a controlled lever, controlling the operation of said means, a contact shoe carried by, said plunger and adapted to pass over track ramps, a bell-crank trigger'carried by said plunger and arranged to control said leveru a bell-crank lever mounted on said plunger and constituting a stop upon which the bellcrank trigger normallyrests, and a rod connected with said shoe and with said bellcrank lever whereby the latter is maintained in its operative position.

EDMUND SPENS-ER TIDDEMAN. V FREDERICK VERNON RUSSELL. 

